Meet Ian Clark | Fashion Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ian Clark and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ian, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe the most important factor behind my success is the team I have around me. They allow me to fully express my ideas and are vital to me executing at the highest level. When it comes to the success of House of Orange, it’s definitely the quality of our designs, our presentation and the authenticity in each release. The motto has always been “Above all create something to be proud of”. Each collection we release is rooted in real life experiences and or personal ideologies. Ultimately, House of Orange is a brand that tells stories through fabrics.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

House of Orange is a brand that I founded in 2018. The name stems from the idea of wanting to create a brand that would allow me to fully express myself creatively through different mediums like fashion, art and film. The symbolism of the color Orange stands for creativity and freedom of expression. I wanted this brand to be a House of Creativity. I never wanted to be boxed into one thing. When you walk into this house that I call “House of Orange ” the first room will have fashion in it but if you go up the stairs into another room you might see film and down the hall to the right it’s a room full of art. It’s the perfect playground for my imagination to run free.

The road that led up to this point was very long but I enjoyed every second of it. I wouldn’t be here without the help of my friends, family and team. Starting a brand is a lot of hard work and you are met with challenges every day. I was forced to learn how to become a better leader, listener and designer on the go. Most importantly, I had to learn to trust the process and enjoy the journey. There are a lot of things that will happen that will be out of your control because you are depending on so many other people to get things done. A collection might be delayed because your manufacturer over booked or they are out of specific fabric. I had to learn to be patient and to not be so hard on myself.

We still have a lot to accomplish but I am happy with where the brand is today. I am extremely excited for the future and looking forward to presenting each collection in an innovative way. After reading this article I would like for the world to know and understand how much thought, love and preparation that goes into each collection. Nothing is ever by chance. We recently released our new collection titled “Untitled”. Which is our take on people’s perception of art and is inspired by one of my favorite painters Mark Rothko. As for me, I would hope they see a person who is completely in love with his craft and who is humbled to have an opportunity to be featured on a platform like Shoutout LA. I don’t take these opportunities for granted. The goal is to inspire someone to keep going or start a project they’ve been putting off. If anything, I hope someone reads this and feels like they could do it too.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If a friend came out to visit me for a week the first place I would take her after leaving the airport would be Cactus Taquerias off of Vineland in Hollywood. I love Mexican food and this place has the best tacos and burritos. After that, I would definitely take her out to Ysabel for a nice dinner. Then some time throughout the week we would go to Santa Monica to enjoy the 3rd Street Promenade. I like going there because there’s so much you can do from eating, relaxing on the beach and shopping. One of my favorite things to do out there is to rent a bike and to ride from Santa Monica all the way down to Torrance County Beach and back. It’s a 22 mile bike ride that allows me to get away from the city for a little bit. I would somehow find a way for us to squeeze in a trip to the Broad museum. I’m big on art and finding new inspirations. Lastly, to end the week off we would go to Lock and Key’s day party on Sunday. It’s a chill place that has amazing drinks and good music.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to shout out my business partner and great friend Tony Stevenson. When I started this brand I was doing everything by myself. I was the designer, the photographer, the stylist, the marketing team and he respected that. He saw that I was willing to do everything under the sun to make this dream a reality and offered a helping hand without asking for anything in return. I can’t thank him enough for standing up and going on this journey with me. He has pushed me to be a better designer, leader and most importantly a better person. The brand wouldn’t be where it is today without his help. We make it a point to put out our best work every time we release a collection and his vision when it comes to design is unmatched. I look forward to seeing what we accomplish together in the future with House of Orange.

Website: www.hoforange.com

Instagram: I__clark

Instagram: H_oforange

Other: Tony Stevenon’s Instagram – Toneyoon

Image Credits
Photographer – Jemimah Frequant
Instagram – Jemportraits